What race organizers bill as the largest college campus in the world — 28,000 acres — is the setting for the running of the Berry Half Marathon & 5K, which takes runners on a tour of this college’s green, hilly, wooded campus set in the foothills of north Georgia’s Appalachian mountains. Relatively fast and flat — with the exception, of course, of the big uphill and downhill stretch from the main campus to the mountain campus in the middle of the race — the out-and-back course also includes several rolling hills throughout the route, which starts and finishes at the Ford Buildings on Berry’s campus.
Berry Half Marathon 10k & 5k
March 8, 2025
Rome
Trail
Ready to sign up?
100-500
Some Hills
Mountain Views
High: 80°
/ Low: 60°
Most of the course takes runners over paved roads, from the starting line at the campus past the Frost Chapel and the nearby middle and elementary schools, through the Winshape dairy barns and along the Viking trail. There is a brief stretch of the course that is made up of crushed gravel trails, the loop near the end of the race to an area with a church known as Possum Trot and back. Half marathoners have four hours to complete the course, making the race accessible to walkers as well as runners. One of the event’s unique attractions accompanying the race is Kite Day, as race organizers provide free kites for spectators and kids to fly during and at the conclusion of the race as an inspiration for runners in the home stretch.
Overview
What race organizers bill as the largest college campus in the world — 28,000 acres — is the setting for the running of the Berry Half Marathon & 5K, which takes runners on a tour of this college’s green, hilly, wooded campus set in the foothills of north Georgia’s Appalachian mountains. Relatively fast and flat — with the exception, of course, of the big uphill and downhill stretch from the main campus to the mountain campus in the middle of the race — the out-and-back course also includes several rolling hills throughout the route, which starts and finishes at the Ford Buildings on Berry’s campus.
Course Description
Most of the course takes runners over paved roads, from the starting line at the campus past the Frost Chapel and the nearby middle and elementary schools, through the Winshape dairy barns and along the Viking trail. There is a brief stretch of the course that is made up of crushed gravel trails, the loop near the end of the race to an area with a church known as Possum Trot and back. Half marathoners have four hours to complete the course, making the race accessible to walkers as well as runners. One of the event’s unique attractions accompanying the race is Kite Day, as race organizers provide free kites for spectators and kids to fly during and at the conclusion of the race as an inspiration for runners in the home stretch.
